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Kentucky at Penn State

Jan 1, 2019 • Completed • Neutral Site

VRBO CITRUS BOWL

Season 2018PostseasonWeek 1

Away

Kentucky

SEC

Final Score

27 - 24

KPS

Home

Penn State

Big Ten

Game Pulse

Immediate edge indicators from the box score.

Total Yards

Penn State389
Kentucky297

Passing Yards

Penn State228
Kentucky121

Rushing Yards

Penn State161
Kentucky176

Turnovers

Penn State1
Kentucky0

Game Conditions

ConditionFair
Temperature80°F
Wind8 mph SW

Humidity

59%

Precipitation

0.00 in

Player Game Leaders

Top individual performers and full player box data.

Passing

Trace McSorley

Penn State

YDS: 228

Rushing

Benny Snell Jr.

Kentucky

YDS: 144

Receiving

Lynn Bowden Jr.

Kentucky

YDS: 84

Tackles

Micah Parsons

Penn State

TOT: 14

Full Player Box

Box Score Comparison

Possession Split

Penn State29:17
Kentucky30:42

Stat Dominance

Team comparison across key performance areas

Game Story

Kentucky edges Penn State 27-24

Close

Kentucky defeated Penn State 27-24 in Week 1 of the 2018 postseason slate, finishing with a 297-389 edge in total yards, and scoring 0 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Kentucky set the terms early in a game that finished 27-24. Blake Gillikin punt for 56 yds , Lynn Bowden Jr. returns for 58 yds for a TD (Miles Butler KICK) came with {'seconds': 45, 'minutes': 0} left in the first quarter, giving Penn State the first major swing.

Kentucky's box score carried the story: 297 total yards, 176 rushing yards, and 121 passing yards. Penn State finished with 389 total yards, including 161 on the ground and 228 through the air.

Kentucky converted 3-14 on third down, went 0-0 on fourth down, the turnover count was 0-1, Kentucky led 10-7 at halftime. The explosive highlight was Miles Butler 28 yd FG GOOD.

Key Moments

  • Punt

    Blake Gillikin punt for 56 yds , Lynn Bowden Jr. returns for 58 yds for a TD (Miles Butler KICK) (Penn State led 0-10 over Kentucky).

  • Field Goal Good

    Miles Butler 28 yd FG GOOD (Kentucky led 3-0 over Penn State).

  • Passing Touchdown

    Trace McSorley pass complete to Nick Bowers for 1 yd for a TD (Jake Pinegar KICK) (Penn State led 7-10 over Kentucky).

  • Field Goal Good

    Miles Butler 28 yd FG GOOD (Kentucky led 20-7 over Penn State).

  • Rushing Touchdown

    Benny Snell Jr. run for 2 yds for a TD (Miles Butler KICK) (Kentucky led 17-7 over Penn State).

  • Rushing Touchdown

    Benny Snell Jr. run for 12 yds for a TD (Miles Butler KICK) (Kentucky led 27-7 over Penn State).

Stat Callouts

  • Final score

    27-24

    Kentucky defeated Penn State.

  • Total yards

    297-389

    Kentucky held the yardage advantage.

  • Rushing yards

    176

    Kentucky averaged 4.2 yards per rush attempt.

  • Passing yards

    121

    Kentucky averaged 8.1 yards per pass attempt.

  • Third downs

    3-14

    Kentucky's conversion rate helped sustain possessions.

  • Opponent third downs

    4-14

    Penn State's offense worked through that conversion rate.

  • Turnovers

    0-1

    Turnover totals are listed winner first.

Analysis

Game Breakdown

StatisticPenn StateKentucky
Total Yards389297
Passing Yards228121
Rushing Yards161176
First Downs2116
Third Down Efficiency4-143-14
Fourth Down Efficiency1-20-0
Total Penalties (Yards)3-243-27
Turnovers10
Completions / Attempts16-349-15
Rushing Attempts4142
Passing TDs20
Rushing TDs12
Kicking Points69
Possession Time29:1730:42
View Penn State Team PageView Kentucky Team Page
Data sourced from NCAA game stats archive (2018)